Happy new year! Check out our Top Africa Stories of the Year and 19 Books to Read from 2023. Here is the week in Africa:
Ethiopia and Somaliland’s port deal
Ethiopia struck a port deal with Somaliland, angering its neighbors. Somalis protested the agreement. With the agreement, Somaliland also took a stake in Ethiopian Airlines. Despite these aggressive geopolitical moves, Ethiopia’s economy is struggling after defaulting on its sovereign debt. Mehari Taddele Marue argues that the port deal might be a move to divert attention away from its problems, while it provides a step toward recognition for Somaliland. The US is concerned.
Tshisekedi declared winner in DR Congo
Felix Tshisekedi is set to govern another term after being declared winner in DR Congo’s presidential election. The elections were far from legitimate and filled with widespread irregularities. The West continues to embolden Tshisekedi as they seek the country’s minerals. Michelle Gavin argues that the desire to “breed stability” threatens democratization. Jason Stearns provides this excellent analysis of how Tshisekedi won the poll, and why it was a lost opportunity for democracy. Meanwhile, DR Congo’s army and police are not ready to protect civilians, and refugees continue to flee the violence in the east.
Sudan’s civil war
Kenya lays open the red carpet for Sudanese militia leader Hamdan Dagalo, or Hemedti. He has ambitions to rule Sudan. Survivors of the fighting in Darfur detail the horror of the past year. The humanitarian crisis is dire.
African elections in 2024
More than a dozen countries are scheduled to hold presidential elections in 2024. Washington should be paying attention. Ken Opalo provides his take on the year ahead, and highlights some of the upcoming polls. The digital divide will shape the polls, too. The global economy faces rising geopolitical risks.
LGBTQ rights
Ugandan LGBTQ activist Steven Kabuye is in critical condition after a brutal knife attack. There is a worsening climate of intolerance in the country. The US removes Uganda from AGOA trade deal because of its anti-LGBTQ law.
Struggle for rights and freedom
It was a quiet new year in Khartoum. Putin is taking control of Wagner in Africa. Sibi Nyaoga explains what Kenya’s proposed mission to Haiti says about Nairobi’s foreign policy. This report examines migration governance in Ethiopia and Kenya. And a thriving border town in South Africa undercuts its anti-immigrant mood.
Africa’s rapid urbanization
Read this thread on the Great Benin City. Christmas in a South African informal settlement. This looks like a helpful report on informality and social protection in African countries.
My awesome colleagues Emma Elfversson and Ivan Gusic (with Jonathan Rokem) have an important new special issue on geographies of peace in violently contested cities, with lots of great contributions. This article examines pro-poor climate resilience in Kumasi, Ghana. Make sure to check out A.R. Pashayan’s Development in Africa’s Informal Settlements: Below the Proletariat.
Research corner
Learn more about cross-border insurgencies in Africa. Sarah Katz-Lavigne examines small-scale cobalt mining sites in DR Congo. This article examines support for free trade in Africa. Isaac Samuel takes us on a tour of trade in the African Atlantic, 1100-1900. Check out this special issue on the African Union, Pan-Africanism, and the liberal international (dis)order. This article examines the effects of local radio on Tanzanian public opinion. Brandon Kendhammer and Adama Ousmanou explain Cameroonian Muslim youth, secularism, and securitization in a time of terror. Check out Victor Agboga’s “Nigerian Electoral Black Market: Where Do Party Switchers Go and Why Does It Matter?”
Check out Arundhati Roy’s The Architecture of Modern Empire. Goran Hyden’s Theorizing in Comparative Politics: Democratization in Africa is out soon. I look forward to reading Achille Mbembe’s Brutalism. This looks good: Mark Deets’ A Country of Defiance: Mapping the Casamance in Senegal.
What a great set of 2024 GLD Fellows!
The week in development
What will shape Africa’s economic landscape in 2024? Africa needs to bolster growth through job creation. The private sector is flourishing in Kakuma Refugee Camp. This story from Chad illustrates the failing aid sector. Nigerian firms are short of $2.5 billion in capital. Rwanda strengthens it economic links with Central African Republic. Rwanda is one of the strongest backers of CAR’s president. There is a need to strike a balance between health equity and efficiency in health financing.
This is a cool visualization on absence of roads in remote areas of South Africa. Zainab Usman takes down this oddly titled and problematic article “The world economy’s biggest problem is Africa.” Kenya is now the fastest growing source of tourists to South Africa. Listen to this podcast on growth through inclusion in South Africa. This report examines South Africa’s Just Energy Transition partnership. The rush for clean energy minerals risks repeating the harmful extractivist model. This is why African businesses take a DIY approach to selling online. And learn about the African village mining Bitcoin.
Inequality, climate change, and megadonors. And the inequality of Kenya—illustrated.
2023 into 2024
UNDP’s Governance Team provides these reflections and highlights from 2023. Afrobarometer has been very busy. So was Carnegie’s Africa program. This is why Biden didn’t visit Africa in 2023. Megatrends continues to publish great work. These are ten of Africa’s most-fatal incidents in 2023. These are the trends driving humanitarian needs in 2024. This is what to expect from global development in 2024. And Jeremy Harding on the new pan-Africanism.
Africa and the environment
Elephants die in drought-stricken Zimbabwe. African rice cultivation is linked to rising methane. Everlasting African wildfires are fueled by aerosol feedback. 45 million children at risk of poor health, malnutrition, displacement and learning loss in Eastern and Southern Africa due to climate crisis. Droughts are forcing human migration toward cities and rivers.
Daily life
Check out these interior spaces made in Africa. The Africa Cup of Nations showcases Africa’s finest talent, as well as China’s economic clout. The history of Coca-Cola in Africa is a long history of unexpected twists and turns. Springbok captain Siya Kolisi is the South African of the year. These are four must-read books from South Africa. “I am because you are,” writes Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o.
RIP South African photographer Peter Magubane.
All the best,
Jeff and Phil
Thanks for the extensive coverage of Congo's elections. I feel like no one is talking about it